NEW ORLEANS – James C. Martin, M.D., a family physician in San Antonio, Texas, was sworn in today as board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) at the annual meeting in New Orleans. He previously served one-year terms as president and president-elect and served three years as a member of the board of directors. The Academy’s policy-making body, the Congress of Delegates, elects board members and officers.
After 20 years in private practice, Martin now works in a multispecialty group practice and serves as program director for the Family Practice Residency Program at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care, San Antonio. Martin is also a clinical professor with the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
A member of the AAFP since 1976, Martin chairs the Future of Family Medicine Project (FFM), which is charged with developing a strategy to transform and renew the specialty of family practice to meet the needs of people and society in a changing environment. FFM is a joint project of the AAFP and other family medicine organizations.
A board-certified family physician, Martin earned his medical degree in 1973 from the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio. He completed a three-year family practice residency at Bexar County Hospital and served as the administrative chief resident in 1976. The AAFP has awarded him the degree of Fellow for distinguished service and continuing medical education. He is past president of the American Board of Family Practice (ABFP) and served on the Quadri Specialty Leadership Consortium with the ABFP. He is a past family practice representative to the American Board of Medical Specialties. Martin was recognized as the Outstanding Medical School Alumnus in 1992.
Martin has written and lectured on family medicine topics ranging from cardiovascular disease and asthma to the doctor-patient relationship and the philosophy of primary care education.
As an Academy spokesperson, he has presented local, state and federal testimony on a variety of legislative advocacy issues including Medicare and Medicaid, medical education and health-care system reform.
Texas Physician Assumes Chairmanship of American Academy of Family Physicians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 03, 2003
Contact:
Amanda Holt
American Academy of Family Physicians
(800) 274-2237, Ext. 5223
aholt@aafp.org
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Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 110,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Approximately one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 240 million office visits each year — nearly 87 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.
To learn more about the specialty of family medicine, the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, and for downloadable multi-media highlighting family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.FamilyDoctor.org.
